Rumex acetosella

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Polygonaceae
Subfamilia: Polygonoideae
Tribus: Rumiceae
Genus: Rumex
Species: Rumex acetosella
Name

Rumex acetosella L.
Synonyms

Acetosella vulgaris Fourr.

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 338. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Rumex acetosella in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
العربية: حماض الغنم
català: Agrelleta
corsu: Romiccia
čeština: Šťovík menší
Cymraeg: Suran yr ŷd
dansk: Rødknæ
Deutsch: Kleiner Sauerampfer
English: Sheep's Sorrel
español: Acedera menor
eesti: Väike-oblikas
euskara: Mingarratz txiki
فارسی: رامکس اکتسلا
suomi: Ahosuolaheinä
Nordfriisk: Sürstaaler
français: Petite oseille
hrvatski: Obična kiselica
hornjoserbsce: Drobny zdźer
magyar: Juhsóska
հայերեն: Ավելուկ փոքր
íslenska: Hundasúra
italiano: Acetosa minore
日本語: ヒメスイバ
ქართული: კოკომჟავა
한국어: 애기수영
lietuvių: Smulkioji rūgštynė
Nederlands: Schapenzuring
norsk nynorsk: Småsyre
norsk: Småsyre
polski: Szczaw polny
Runa Simi: Puka qura
русский: Щавель воробьиный
davvisámegiella: Guolbbajuopmu
slovenčina: Štiav obyčajný
svenska: Bergsyra
Türkçe: Kuzukulağı
українська: Щавель горобиний
中文（简体）: 小酸模
中文: 小酸模

Rumex acetosella, commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia and the British Isles,[2] the plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color.

Description

A perennial herb that has a slender and reddish upright stem that is branched at the top, reaching a height of 50 cm (20 in).[3] The arrow-shaped leaves are small, about 2.4–5 cm (1–2 in) long and .5–2 cm (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) wide, with pointed lobes at the base.[3] It blooms during March to November, when yellowish-green (male) or reddish (female) flowers develop on separate plants at the apex of the stem, which develop into the red fruits (achenes).
Distribution and habitat

Native to Eurasia and the British Isles,[2] Rumex acetosella has been introduced to most of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. It is commonly found on acidic, sandy soils in heaths and grassland.[2] It is often one of the first species to take hold in disturbed areas, such as abandoned mining sites, especially if the soil is acidic. Livestock will graze on the plant, but it is not very nutritious and is toxic in large amounts because of oxalates. The American copper or small copper butterfly depends on it for food, although its larvae can consume some related plants.

Rumex acetosella is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. It has been found that in early successional habitats, there are relatively more female plants, while in later successional stages, male plants are more common.[4]

Rumex acetosella is widely considered to be a hard-to-control noxious weed due to its spreading rhizome. Blueberry farmers are familiar with the weed because it thrives in the same conditions under which blueberries are cultivated.
Uses

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.[5] The oxalic acid they contain lend them a somewhat sour taste.[6] There are several uses of sheep sorrel in the preparation of food including a garnish, a tart flavoring agent, a salad green,[5] and a curdling agent for milk in cheese-making. The leaves have a lemony, tangy or rhubarb-like tart flavor.[5] It is also known as sheep shower in parts of the country.[which?]

Ground-feeding songbirds eat the seeds, and larger animals like rabbits and deer browse the greens.[7]
Effects on animals

Italian agronomist Nicola Onorati (1764-1822) first discovered that rumex acetosella damages the teeth of animals that crop this plant because of oxalic acid.[8][9]
Bibliography

Andrea Alfonso Vachetta (1877). Elementi di patologia chirurgica degli animali domestici. Milan: Ulrico Hoepli. p. 499.

References

"Acetosella vulgaris". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 December 2017.
Stace, C. A. (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (Third ed.). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. p. 450. ISBN 9780521707725.
Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
Houssard, C.; Escarre, J.; Vartanian, N. (1992). "Water stress effects on successional populations of the dioecious herb, Rumex acetosella L". New Phytologist. 120 (4): 551–559. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1992.tb01805.x.
Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN 978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC 965922681.
Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 708. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
Vachetta, p. 499
Delle cose rustiche, vol. 3